Industry Ink: Blake Shelton, Grand Ole Opry, CMA, Rare Country, Thunder 102

As the Grand Ole Opry continues to celebrate its 90th anniversary, last night (Sept. 22) the show honored one of its own as country superstar Blake Shelton celebrated his 5th anniversary as an Opry member.

Shelton was given a commemorative gift marking both the Opry’s 90th anniversary and his fifth year as an official Opry member. He was also presented with a one-of-a-kind fifth of whiskey to mark the occasion. “They told us Blake was really, really excited about his fifth. Then we decided he might be thinking about a different kind of fifth, so we wanted to cover our bases,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher when presenting the specially-marked bottle. “This fifth is not available in stores now… or ever.”

“I can’t believe I have my own bottle of whiskey!” Shelton cheered. “I should keep that. How am I not gonna open that?” Shelton was later joined by Trace Adkins in a performance of “Hillbilly Bone.”

CMA Board of Directors Holds Quarterly Board Meeting

Pictured (L-R): Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America; David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association; and Ann Sweeney, Senior Vice President of Global Policy at BMI participate in a panel discussion moderated by David Ross, CMA Board member and President of BossRoss Media at the CMA Board of Directors meeting Tuesday in Nashville. Photo: Caitlin Harris / CMA

The CMA Board of Directors began their quarterly Board meeting Tuesday (Sept. 22) in Nashville by welcoming industry speakers for panels and presentations at the Omni Hotel.

CMA Board member David Ross, President of BossRoss Media, moderated a panel featuring Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America; David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association; and Ann Sweeney, Senior Vice President of Global Policy at BMI. The discussion covered a range of topics from compensation models to sales and streaming services.

Following the panel, Pandora Chief Financial Officer Mike Herring gave a presentation to the Board.

Thunder 102 Holds 5th Annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon

Thunder 102 staffers celebrate Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon.

Thunder 102 held the 5th annual Thunder 102 Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon on Sept. 17 and 18. The two-day event raised over $60,000 to fight childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. This brings the total amount raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to over $200,000 over the five years Thunder 102 has held the event.

Thunder 102 General Manager and Market Manager Paul Ciliberto stated, “The incredible amount raised is not only another example of the generosity of our ThunderHeads but also shows the understanding of the positive impact St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has in the fight against cancer locally. Countless lives have been saved because of the protocols developed as a result of the research of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

Phillips Named CCO/GM of Rare Country

Laurissa Phillips

Rare Country, the newly-launched country music and lifestyle website, has tapped talent and production executive Laurissa Phillips as its Chief Creative Officer and General Manager. Dually-based in Atlanta and Nashville, Phillips is responsible for the daily, creative and strategic oversight of the website dedicated to serving the country music fan. Rare Country is a subsidiary of Cox Media Group’s Rare.us.

Phillips’ experience encompasses a variety of disciplines including publicity, marketing, production, editorial, talent placement and development with a strong portfolio of clients such as ABC News, Coca-Cola, Cox Media Group, CMT and MTV Networks.